


Silver and Gold

by ikknowplaces



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Police, Angst, Character Death, Cookies, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Ficlet Collection, Football | Soccer, Kid Fic, Making Up, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prompt Fic, Secret Relationship, Siblings, Teasing, sarai finds out au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:02:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21893332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikknowplaces/pseuds/ikknowplaces
Summary: A collection of fics focusing on the relationship between Amaya and Janai on a modern setting. Most are prompts, but some are my own ideas too.
Relationships: Amaya/Janai (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 43
Kudos: 169





	1. now i'm wide awake (cop au)

**Author's Note:**

> hey so i decided to make another fic collection?? this one, unlike the [Knights of Sunshine](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21609247) collection, is for prompts and fics that are not set within the tdp world, so basically modern au's at most, with maybe some other au's. rules and differences and everything will be on my tumblr once i'm done with the prompts that i already have
> 
> so, i'm starting this collection with really, my most "go crazy go stupid" moment ever to write this au where amaya is a cop working for the katolis police station and khaessa is a governor who gets killed in a bombing attack on lux aurea, and janai is just outside the building when it happens. it's something i thought about yesterday, you can see more notes on my tumblr
> 
> that being said, i have no idea what i'm doing here, so nothing is really settled. also it's 3am and i stayed up to get this out of my system so forgive me for any mistakes, in spelling or terms, because i am very tired. might write more of this au in the future. also, tell me what you think about this? i could really use some feedback
> 
> i hope you'll like this!

* * *

Janai never imagined she'd set her feet on the worthless land of Katolis ever in her life, especially not because of her sister's death. It has been exactly a week since her sister spoke in the Sun Tower about the coming changes to the government of Lux Aurea, when that bastard from the other side of the border set off the bomb attached to his body and made the tower explode and go up in flames, killing Khaessa and fifty of her colleagues on the spot. 

Janai had been just outside the building when it happened. She was about to enter five minutes late with the cup of coffee that delayed her to proudly listen to her older sister give her speech when the explosion came. Some people might say the worst part was the fire, consuming the glass panels of the towers, burning so harshly one couldn't look at the blinding light directly, but it wasn't the truth. The worst part was the sound, louder than anything Janai ever heard, like infinite thunders striking at once. The aftershock was bad too, and it ripped Janai twenty feet back before she hit the hard floor, and the world went dark.

When she regained her consciousness- five seconds, ten minutes, an hour, it didn't matter- she thought she might have gone deaf, for there was no sound in the world. She lifted her aching head from the pavement to meet the burning tower, flames engulfing every inch of it, black smoke swirling up the sky into a cloud that blocked the sun's light. Then the sound returned, sharp, stinging buzzing in her ears, and with it the terrified screams, the cries, the shouts. 

Her mind was clouded, her skin was scarped and bloody, but it was all Janai needed to understand. Her sister was inside, her radiant sister who always commanded respect and inspired fear in those who didn't know better. The pride of Lux Aurea, their hope. Just a few hours ago she was sitting by Khaessa's side as the driver lead them to the Sun Tower, and she gossiped about some of the other governors, as if her speech was as easy as eating a piece of cake. And now she was dead.

Janai was grateful for the noise, because no one could hear the scream that escaped from her, burning her lungs from the inside. She held onto the rough floor until the pain sparked from her fingertips and cried, feeling each warm tear as it rolled down her cheeks.

She allowed herself to break down only for a moment. Weakness wasn't an emotion she was familiar with. Anger was much better. She rose to her feet, hands curled into fists, the tears drying on her face. Firefighters and ambulances already gathered outside, and the press as well, documenting the crowed of traumatized people. The police had secured the area too, but Janai didn't care. She pushed through any one of them, including the two cops at what used to be the entrance when they tried to prevent her from entering, elbowing one in the face. They might have recognized her, might have not, it didn't matter. She ran inside through shattered glass and raging flames, and passed the main counter that was on fire.

She made to the elevator, to find it submerged and fallen. In hindsight, she'd wonder how all the blazing heat and suffocating smoke didn't affect her the slightest, but it didn't cross her mind as she rushed to the staircase. When she found it blocked and crumbled, her breath sunk, and she collapsed to her knees, crying again, before someone lifted her beneath her arms and dragged her outside.

And now she was descending on the escalators of the airport of fucking Katolis, the worst of the countries on the west side of the border, and the one closet to it. Janai knew of Katolis too well. It was the richest country, had the best-trained army, and has taken the greatest toll on Xadia since the border was built. She looked around the groups of Western-Side people, clutching suitcases or holding onto their bags. Just the sight of them made her sick.

Janai strode from the steps, her golden suitcase rolling behind her, eager to get away from all the people. She exited the airport to gaze upon the pathetic buildings the Katolians considered to be architecture, so dull compared to the structures of Lux Aurea, always shining in the daylight, and the thickness of the air hit her. She scoffed, thinking about how even the atmosphere was awful here. 

It didn't hold much importance. She caught a blue-and-silver cab to the address her assistant provided her with shaking hands and a voice that was somehow even less steady. She had a place to be in.

**-**

It was just another regular day at the station, to the very least. Amaya took the last sip of her coffee while Gren and Corvus chatted from her left and right, over an opened plastic box full of cookies Corvus baked last night. Amaya reached over for another cookie and watched them converse over how many strawberries in Gren's favorite strawberry cake are too many strawberries. In her opinion, Corvus had the upper hand. He was the one making it, after all.

Harrow had gone home already as he often did, to take care of her nephews, and left the station in Amaya's arms. Nothing too dramatic had occurred during the past week, besides a baker who claimed his trays of freshly baked jelly tarts kept disappearing. Katolis was a peaceful country, if to ignore the constant tension at the border with Xadia.

If truth was to be told, not all has been quiet. There had been an attack on Lux Aurea, seven days ago. A bombing attack, no less, possibly against the government. Amaya didn't know all the details; it was the way the two countries operated. Xadia was never mentioned on the news, any kind of news, on their side, and Amaya imagined their countries were never mentioned in Xadia. Still, information passed, in whispers and guesses, and Amaya could not let it go unpassed, not with her kind of job.

Gren was the one to tell her. A bombing attack, in Lux Aurea, purposely inside one of their main towers. That was the detail that echoed in her mind as she tried to sleep that night. A bombing attack within a secured place. Dozens must have lost their lives. What worried her more is the possibility that the attacker was from their side- he most likely was- and that the Xadians of Lux Aurea would spread the attack as a terror attack- which it also was- and that it would lead to a counterattack, at a much greater scale.

She had been alert the entire week after, even if her colleagues weren't. The Xadians were known to be swift and unpredictable, and she wouldn't suffer an attack from behind. But nothing happened.

She snapped her fingers at Gren, as she always does when wanting to get his attention. The argument needed to end, anyway. When he turned his head to her she raised her empty cup and tapped on the surface, lifting an eyebrow in a question.

"Yeah, sure," Gren nodded and pushed his chair, grabbing his own cup.

Amaya stood after him and shifted her gaze at Corvus before dropping it to his cup. "Yes, thank you," he outstretched his glass to her.

With that, she went out of the room with Gren towards the station's little kitchen that contained a small fridge, a microwave, a coffee machine, and a cooler. It was one of the first things Harrow changed when he became the Captain. No more food heating or coffee making at the office. _We can all use a little more exercise._ Amaya had stifled a laugh when he said that, with her daily six A.M morning run.

"Wanna go to the bar this Friday?" Gren asked as they paced down the corridor side by side. Amaya only smiled and nodded. It had become a ritual at this point, to meet up at the usual bar every Friday, unless one of them couldn't, but Gren asked anyway.

The corridor opened into the reception area and Amaya didn't realize Gren stopped on his tracks before she was a few steps ahead of him. She was about to ask what happened when his stunned expression froze her, and she followed his gaze towards a woman standing at the counter. Her skin was dark, almost like Harrow's, and even her hair was styled in the same fashion, though Amaya had never seen this shade of dark crimson before. Nor the loathing that consumed her eyes.

"I'd like to report a murder," she said, and Amaya didn't near her hearing to sense the venom in her words.

The receptionist seemed to be taken back too. "Who's the victim?" She asked, voice tight.

For the first time, Amaya questioned her lips-reading skills. "My sister. Your Lieutenant Viren murdered her."

Gren was quicker to respond than her. He rushed to the woman's side, who scanned him from head to heel with a single bat of her eyes and a distasteful curl in her lips. "Hey, may you please come with us?" He asked and grabbed her by the arm before she could react.

Amaya was by his side then. "What? Let go of me," the woman began to pull away, and spun to Amaya's direction when she gently closed her hand around her arm. Up this close, Amaya saw her eyes were dark as coal.

As soon as they were inside the room, the woman ripped herself from their grasp, looking around the white walls as she squeezed the place where Gren held her.

"Who are you?" Amaya signed.

The woman turned her head to them at Gren's voice, looking rather puzzled trying to understand which one of them asked the question. She settled on Amaya eventually.

"Who am _I_?" She leaned forward, and the crease across her forehead deepened the more she frowned. "Who are you?" She shot Amaya a look that was as sharp as needles. 

"The bomb in Lux Aurea," Gren cut in, sadness masking his face. "She's the governor's sister."

Amaya's gaze went to him at the same time as the woman's. She certainly didn't hear about any governor, nor about her sister. How much did Gren withhold from her? 

"I'm Detective Gren, and this is Sergeant Amaya," he continued. "And you are Janai, right?"

"Yes," Janai nodded reluctantly and crossed her arms. 

Amaya took a step forward. Smalltalk was never her one of her strong points. "What do you mean Viren killed your sister?" 

Gren repeated the question, and Janai glanced between him and Amaya. If the situation was different, she might have found that amusing. "We tracked the attacker's recent activities and it led to your Lieutenant. He is the person behind this. Now, tell me where I can find him so he can pay for my sister's life."

Gren's eyes went wide. "Are you seriously admitting to planning a murder in a police station?" 

Amaya lifted her head, sighing, and dropped her hands on his shoulders so he would listen. "I believe Viren could do it-" she began.

"Wait, what?"

"But maybe let's not do that here." She turned to Janai again. "How are you going to avenge your sister all by yourself?" 

Janai's hands were closed into fists at her sides. "My family has means," she blustered. "Are you going to help me or not?" The two of them stood in their place, and Janai held her unyielding stare at them as if they were her last hope. When it was clear she wouldn't get an answer, she grunted and burst from the room.

When the door was slammed after her, Gren let his shoulders slump. "Amaya, she just said she's going after him. She has the motive and the ability."

Amaya wished to return ten minutes ago when nothing was happening. It was better than this storm. And Gren wasn't wrong. "She's grieving. If I believed Viren was responsible for Sarai's death, I would have threatened to kill him too."

She flung the door open, and put a hand on Gren's chest when he followed behind her, before striding outside.

Janai was just passing the counter when Amaya caught her hand. She immediately spun around and tore her arm away, that furious look on her face. Amaya didn't let that rattle her, and she reached out for her notepad and a pen from her back pocket.

 _Don't do something you'll regret. I understand your pain,_ she wrote and tore off the page.

Janai lingered on the paper, as if reading the note over and over again, before she lifted her face to Amaya.

"You don't understand anything," she shoved the page back at her and broke off.


	2. to have a friend (kids au)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amaya isn't fond of the new girl, which is fine, because the new girl isn't fond of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome backkk to prompt number twoo. this is for carrot-love-to-be-indecisive on tumblr who wanted little janai and amaya. they're supposed be 10ish in this while sarai and khessa are like 15 or something. i think that they're both be into soccer if they were kids in a modern universe.
> 
> next up is one of my favorite prompts so far- sarai finding out about janai. i wrote a little bit of it [here](https://rrunaan.tumblr.com/post/189917882405/amayas-phone-screen-lit-up-a-text-from-janai)
> 
> i hope you'll like this!

* * *

Amaya didn't like the new girl from the moment she saw her. From the way she carried herself, her fancy clothes (her favorite colors were red, black and strangely enough- golden) that made Amaya feel bad about her plain blue shirt, the way she spoke- Amaya didn't need to hear to grasp the words, the smirk was always curled up on her lips was enough, but what angered Amaya the most was the way she looked as like. As if she was  _ better _ , with the unique notebooks that everyone gathered to see, her branded markers, the car that always took her and her older sister home. It was clear she had money. Most kids took the bus home, even her and Sarai, though she wanted to believe they had enough money too. They never lacked in food, or clothes, and whenever they went to the mall with their parents, they never received no as an answer, unless if it was something silly, like how Sarai wanted the exact lamp she had next to their bed in another color. 

The problem wasn't  _ just _ the way the new girl looked at her. She came from the eastern side of the city, and eastern-siders didn't like people like Amaya, who lived on the other side of the city. She didn't know why, and when she asked her mother she simply patted her head and told her that these people sometimes do mean things to people from their side. Not all of them were bad, not all of them were dangerous, but they were still scary. 

The only thing Amaya was scared of was amusement parks, because most of the rides took you very high, and she hated being too high. It made her heart sink and her feet tingle, and she wanted to run. But she was not afraid of the new girl, no matter how tough she was. 

Perhaps she didn't have an actual reason to dislike her so much. The girl never hit anyone, or made anyone cry, or laughed at someone else's expense, but Amaya saw the way she looked at Gren and Corvus, even Sarai when she came to see how Amaya was doing during the lunch break. There was loathing in her eyes, and such sharpness, and she never sat with anyone who wasn't from her side of the city, so Amaya decided not to like her back. It was easy. They never talked anyway, and sat on opposites sides of the class.

Amaya thought that maybe, despite how arrogant she seemed, the girl wouldn't fit well, but she found friends quickly- people from their side seemed to be drawn to each other, and get along effortlessly- and proved to be perfect in any subject. Sometimes she even handed the teacher the test first, and that just made Amaya angry.  _ Showing off,  _ she'd glance at Gren with a choking gesture.

It became worse when she joined the soccer team. Amaya wanted to scream at tear a handful of grass when she heard. For once, she thought all the places were closed in their team, and second, they had been rolling since last year, winning games and practicing.  _ As a team. _ One couldn't just step in and claim their role. 

Still, she didn't lose hope. The girl could have been a goalkeeper or a defender, but no, somehow the coach found it right to put her in the same position as Amaya. A striker. Now, not only that Amaya had to endure her looks during class- which became more frequent the moment after she joined the soccer team- she also had to endure her arrogance at the field. Running faster than necessary just so she could show Amaya she can run better than her, bouncing the ball from one leg to another, spinning it between her feet.

She had voiced- well, signed and written- her anger to Gren and Corvus, and even to Sarai and her friend Harrow as well, and they all understood and encouraged her to ignore the girl, but it was just so infuriating. Amaya had worked a lot to become a striker, and the team's leader, and the girl just came and swept her feet from under her, and she never exchanged a single word with her. 

It all came crashing down during a game against one of the other schools in Katolis. Amaya had a clear path towards the gate. The players of the opposite teams were running after her, but they were no near close enough. The goalkeeper in front of her might block her kick, but Amaya was determined.

She wasn't the only one. Janai ran ahead of her, and though she didn't speak- that was beneath her- her eyes staring at Amaya were enough, along with the haste motions she made with her hands. Pass it to me. Amaya ignored her. This goal would be hers. 

Janai understood that quickly, and rushed back to Amaya's side. She kept staring at her with those harsh eyes, and when it was clear Amaya wouldn't give up the opportunity, she tried to thread her ankles between hers, but instead of snatching the ball her leg came with Amaya's calf.

First, she crashed on the grass from the force of Janai's kick, then she felt the pain, spreading through her bone. Tears gathered in her eyes as she clenched her leg, and Janai didn't seem to realize what happened until the judge's whistle stopped the game. At once, Sarai was kneeling by her side, with the medic that pressed a bandage to stop the blood that poured out, wiping the tears from her cheeks and signing her that everything would be alright. When Amaya glanced up, Janai's gaze was still stuck on her, a mixture of disbelief and fear on her face. She snapped out of it when an older girl stepped to her side and put her hand on her shoulder.

Sarai rose as soon as the other girl arrived. "Look what your sister did!" She pointed at Amaya, who looked down at her ankle wrapped with the white bandage.

"My sister?" She took a step forward, fury written all over her face. "It was your sister's fault," she said.

Sarai had always been the calm, more collected one. Perfect grades, good friends, loved even by the teachers. Her hand closed into a fist now, and Amaya knew she was bringing up all of her moves from her martial arts class. "I am going to bash your head into the ground-" she growled, moving forward, but before she could do anything, the coach stopped her.

**-**

_ Stupid, stupid, stupid. _ It was a stupid plan. She wanted to leave. She should never have asked that boy- what was his name? Gren, how to make Amaya feel better. It didn't matter. Her mother would have forced her to go anyway, and she did, standing over her with that lecturing look of her.  _ Mistakes you created must be solved by you. You need to take responsibility for your actions.  _

She turned back, hoping the car would see be there. She could leave the box at the door and come back home. But no, the car left. Janai sighed, regretting the chain of actions that lead her to stand outside of Amaya's house. She squared her shoulders nonetheless, reminding herself to be brave, and rang the bell.

She couldn't decide which one to open the door would be worst. Her older sister? Maybe. Her father? A little less. Her mother? Scarier than him. Amaya herself? She might just punch her before Janai would get a word out.

It was her mother. Tall, pretty, with long hair tied up in a ponytail. Janai stared at her for a moment before she remembered how to speak. "Hey," her voice came out higher than usual and she cleared her throat. "I'm here for Amaya, I brought her some cookies."

The mother's eyes lingered on her. She must know she was from the east side of the city. Somehow, people from their side always knew, and she must have connected to dots to realize she was the one who almost broke her daughter's leg. If she did, she made no sign of it, and only smiled, letting Janai in.

Janai stood after the closed door, unsure where to go, and her eyes wandered around the house. It seemed big, though a bit smaller than hers, with a staircase leading to another floor and neat furniture. Sunlight came from the floor-to-ceiling windows in front of her, showing the garden outside. Janai assumed it would be less nice. 

Amaya's mother signed something to her, and waved at Janai to come closer to the couch. Amaya turned around as Janai came closer, and froze where she was sitting. 

"Hi," Janai said, as politely as she could. The television was on, showing some cartoon, and Amaya's leg was raised on the table on top of a cushion. "How are you feeling?"

Amaya's face turned colder and she reached for the notepad and marker she had on the couch next to her.  _ Could've been better, _ she scribbled and showed Janai the page.

Janai tried to remember the reason she came, and swallowed the guilt down. "I brought you some oatmeal cookies," she raised the box towards her. "I... heard you liked them." Amaya glanced between the box and her, as if the cookies might be poisoned. "And I'm sorry for kicking you. And for trying to take the ball. It wasn't fair."

Amaya took the box from her, and finally a little smile rose on her face. She patted on the place next to her, and Janai accepted the offer. 


	3. all i know is pouring rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> janai hates the winter, so amaya has a surprise for her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello againnn. i had zero time to write this week, but i'm finally done with this. anon wanted something short, and well, this is definitely short
> 
> next up on knights of sunshine: janai and amaya confess to each other during a battle
> 
> also i opened a [twitter](https://twitter.com/rrunaan) account. if that's something y'all have.
> 
> i hope you like this !

* * *

Janai hated winters, almost exclusively. The low temperatures got into her skin, the multiple layers of clothing were a burden, and the never-ending rains made it impossible to be outdoors. The worst part was, perhaps, that there was no hint of sunlight, sometimes for days, when the dark clouds took up the entire sky.

It was nearly expected of her to despise winters so much, coming from the golden city of Lux Aurea, where summer ruled for the larger portion of the year. There was nothing Janai loved more than feeling the sun on her skin, relishing in its warmth and power. 

In Katolis things were different. The sun was the same, albeit less strong, but when winter came, it came in fullest. Thunderstorms and flashes of lightning, even occasional hail and soft snow. Janai didn't have to stay on Katolis, but Lux Aurea was starting to become suffocating. As much as she loved Khessa, her sister had turned harder and more distant in her position as the governor of Lux Aurea, and with their brother years off in college, she needed a change.

She watched the grey road through the moving wipers, drops of rain, and the steam coating the windshield from the heat she turned up, slowly driving on the soaked road. A faraway thunder roared, and Janai strengthened her pressing on the gas, determined to beat the rain before it would become harsher.

She grabbed her bag from the seat to her side and slammed the door shut. The cold hit her at once, seeping into her bones despite the coat she was wearing and the scarf around her neck. She rushed towards the steps, her breath forming in front of her as a soft fog. The little shed at the doorstep sheltered her from the coming drops and she pressed the buzzer, knowing Amaya's smart watch would alert her she was at the door, before she opened it with her key.

She walked into the house to see Amaya already turned to face her from the couch, the air inside as warm as her smile. Janai sighed and unwrapped the scarf from around her neck as Amaya got up.

"Hey," she waved, and Amaya stepped to hug her. She rocked back on her feet before straightening again, caught off guard by the familiar force of Amaya's embrace. She slid her hands to her back, taking in the comfort of her arms and the soft fabric of her sleeping shirt.

"Hey," Amaya pulled away and signed. She was wearing a pale blue shirt with long sleeves and a pair of grey sweat pants, and smelled like sweet soap, as if she had just gotten out of the shower. "How are you?"

"Now better," she removed her coat, leaning over to give Amaya a quick kiss, and hung it over one of the chairs in the kitchen.

After a change of clothes, happy to get rid of the jeans and the tight shirt, she returned to the living room to see Amaya sitting on the couch with a blanket spread across her lap. Janai eyed it from the edge of the couch.

Amaya motioned her to come closer before she could ask. "I have a surprise."

Janai glanced at the floor, then at the small table between the couch and the television. Nothing was there. Maybe the blanket was the surprise? Janai was certain it was new. She curled her legs from under her and sat down, brushing the blanket. The wool was soft, but there was nothing else about it. She turned to Amaya when the soft buzzing sound came, and heat began to pool underneath her.

Amaya watched her with patience smile, one she couldn't help but mirror as the warmness continued to radiate. "What is that?" She asked. "An electrical blanket?"

Amaya nodded, her smile widening. "So you won't get so cold."

Janai laughed, lowering her gaze as she caressed the fuzzy fabric. There was no one better than Amaya, truely. "Thank you."

Amaya reached under the blanket to hold both of Janai's hands with hers and bent over to kiss her. 


	4. rainbow girl (car accident au)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amaya and Gren have a mild car accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god after 200 years i'm finally done with this prompt. i was waiting to get to it for so long. never in my life have i used so many cut scenes, i can finally rest
> 
> anyway, the title is taken from the national's song 29 years- "I'll run off to the rainbow girl just to pass her by" with janai being the rainbow girl, even though she's the one running to amaya
> 
> also a little detail i wanted to make sure is clear- in the series, whenever sarai or gren talk to amaya, they use asl only, much to her annoyance here because they're also talking, which is different than usually
> 
> the next thing coming is a fic of my own that i'm really excited about and can't wait to share with you all
> 
> i hope you'll like this!

* * *

Warm summer breeze blew on Amaya as she kept her eyes leveled on the road, just enough to send her hair brushing against the side of her face. She eased her foot off the gas handle and came to a swift turn to the right, sliding along with the curve.

Contrary to what some people might have believed, Amaya was a good driver. An excellent one, and not despite her disability. Truth to be told, she doubted whether, if she was a hearing person, her driving skills would be affected at all. 

The only downside, perhaps, was that she couldn't communicate well with Gren with both of her hands on the steering wheel, nor glance at his signs while she kept her eyes on the road. She was already a careful person, but she grew into Sarai having the same attitude, and she often lectured her about safety and correct driving when she had just started her lessons at seventeen, and so her car was equipped with a rear camera that was shown on a screen below the radio, a light that flickered on whenever another vehicle was close to her, and her phone connected to the dashboard with a stand, with the GPS always on.

Gren was rocking in his seat to some song she assumed was upbeat in the radio, tapping his knee or raising his hand in the small space in front of him. Amaya smiled at his enthusiasm when be began to whistle along, and took a quick glance towards the radio to see the name of the song on the display. It was a good song, though she didn't remember all the words.

They were going out for some coffee in the sunlight, and Amaya could forsee Gren ordering his favorite cheesecake, though she tried to convince him more than once he should save some for his birthday, and not every time they go out. He claimed that as long as there were no strawberries, it was okay, and Amaya couldn't help but share the slice with him.

He tapped her shoulder when they came to a stop in front of the red light. "Are you doing anything for Harrow's birthday?" With his middle finger, he touched his chin, then his chest.

Amaya nodded and took her hands off the steering wheel for a moment. "Dinner at their place, most likely." Sarai had only shared the general idea with her, and Amaya expected to get a text with the details soon, as Harrow's birthday was coming next week. They would probably celebrate as always- a Friday dinner with the kids, with Gren and Corvus of course, a nicer dinner than usual. 

She checked her phone before driving forward when the light went green. She didn't need the GPS to navigate Katolis, but the application was a useful tool to alert about traffic, accidents, and timing. 

She could see the coffee shop ahead, just past another intersection. The open umbrellas swayed in the wind, giving shade to the people sitting outside, and bypassers stepped on the sidewalk. She drove forward, but then something was coming towards her side, and Gren's hand was in front of her, and she had but a spare chance to press the brakes before everything went dark.

**-**

More than once, Janai heard a saying from officers senior and more experienced than her: the day you leave the army, a part of you remains frozen, waiting to be called upon, waiting for something bad to happen, waiting to be pulled back. She didn't believe it would happen to her, but she didn't realize it was happening when it was happening gradually. Never muting her phone, always keeping it close, never deleting any numbers.

And always carrying a first aid kit on the floor of the back seat of her car. Maybe that was simply being careful. She saw the accident at the same time as everyone else did, and it seemed like both of the people driving reacted fast enough to slow down, and the result was a minor crash, with the dark blue car being pushed off its lane.

A rational person might have realized that wasn't a deadly accident, and would have taken the time to pull over safely before rushing to help, but Janai was no rational person. She came to a stop at once, grabbed the box behind her, and slammed the door running. 

For some reason, she was drawn to the dark blue car. Maybe because it was the one that got hit, or maybe because the person who crossed in red light and crashed into it seemed perfectly fine, standing frozen and shocked outside of his car. 

She slowed her pace and walked towards the passenger seat, ignoring the forming crowd of cars, honks, and the heat, not wanting to scare the ginger guy who sat there. She knocked on the window three times, before opening the door.

"Hey. Are you alright?" She crunched to be at eye level with the guy.

He stared at her, then beyond her shoulder, as if trying to figure out where she had appeared from, a crease between his eyebrows. "Yes," he nodded. "Who are you?"

"I'm here to help," she swirled to the other side and opened the driver's door. "Did you see what happened to your friend?" She placed her hair gently on the woman's back, and squeezed the other between her forehead and the dashboard.

"She hit her head, I think," he said, touching the side of his face, and only then sobered up that a strange woman was trying to help his best friend. "Wait, we shouldn't move her."

When Janai pulled her fingers back, they were stained with blood. "I have medical training."

"I have medical training too," he said back.

"You prefer leaving her here? The medics will move her anyway, when they come," she said, and that seemed to convince him. With a sigh, he undid his buckle, and Janai gently pushed the woman over from the dashboard. She was clearer now; pale skin, hair cut short on one side, and the cut going from her forehead to temple that wasn't bleeding anymore.

"What's your name? I'm Gren," he asked, standing next to her. 

"Janai," she answered without turning. "Lift her legs," she gestured and took the woman under the arms, and together they carried her around the car and laid her on the road in the shade. 

She told Gren to keep her head elevated and went to take her kit, before she kneeled on the ground and began to ran her hands up her torso, pressing gently. "Nothing's broken," she assumed, and moved to have the woman's head in her lap. "Help me here," she took out a small flashlight and looked at Gren, who put his hand over Amaya's eye while she peeled it open and hovered the flashlight over it. 

"You're really good at this," he said with a hint of a question in his words. 

"Told you," she smiled and shoved the flashlight into her back pocket. "Her pupils aren't dilated. Your friend is going to be okay."

"Her name's Amaya," he said.

Janai nodded and slowly got up, leaving her jacket below's Amaya's head, and took the box with her.

**-**

Amaya came to, blinking her eyes open to meet strong sunlight, the smell of smoke, something under her head, stinging heat below her back and legs, and the side of her face pulsing with ache. She didn't have much time to register all these before Gren appeared, blocking the sun.

"Amaya," he shouted, unusual for him to speak when it was just the both of them. "Are you alright? Are you in pain?"

She raised a hand at his chest for him to stop and shut her eyes, brows furrowing. There was an awful ringing in her ears, and something dry and rough on the side of her forehead. Now that she was conscious again, she realized the heat below her came from the road she was lying on, though her head wasn't touching the dark asphalt, and that they were outside of her car instead of inside, driving to the coffee shop.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Someone hit us, and you passed out," he came to sit by her, on his knees. "Are you in pain?"

She nodded. "My ears hurt," she brought two of her index fingers together and twisted them before she brought her hand to where her forehead burned, and it came out smeared with dried blood. Before Gren could tell her to stop, she placed on hand on the road and pushed herself up, eyeing the folded cloth there, and three medics in glowing yellow vests surrounded them.

After a lot of questions and interpretations from Gren, and despite that she felt okay except from the cut on her forehead, they loaded her into the stretcher, and the medics performed several tests on her. She expected Gren to be more worried, as someone who'd run into her arms after a long Saturday, but he remained completely calmed by her side as Amaya held onto the jacket she picked up from the road.

She should have known Sarai would find her way in. Her sister had a sixth sense of always knowing where she was, or if she was in danger. Or maybe Sarai had put a chip on her and she hadn't realized it. Either way, the number of times Sarai came rushing were too many to be all coincidences. 

"What happened? Are you okay?" She ran towards her and said, breathless, as well as signed. Amaya wanted to roll her eyes. What was with everyone today. 

"How did you find me?" She removed her hand from the bandage over the cut and signed back.

"I'm a cop, Amaya, I know everything," she said. Amaya gave her a stern look. "You told me where you were going and around what hour, then I heard about an accident over the radio. One plus one."

That was enough for Amaya. "This guy ran into us," Gren got in and gestured at the other car in the middle of the road, and the guy being questioned by some of the other cops. "And do you see that woman there?" He pointed at a tall woman with crimson hair twisted into dreadlocks, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and ripped jeans. "She came to help first and got Amaya out."

Both of their gazes when to him. Between all the examinations and getting her wound treated, Amaya hadn't asked who the jacket she was holding belonged to. Amaya moved her eyes to look at her again. About her height, in shape. A complete stranger who not only ran to help, but got her out and treated her before the ambulance arrived.

And Sarai was looking at her too. 

**-**

She stepped back when the ambulance came, and the police as well. She was no doctor to take care of Amaya's wound, and only did what was right by offering some first aid, but she didn't know what to do now. Just drive away, like most of the other cars who had stopped? Come over and introduce herself? Say goodbye to Gren, at least? And her jacket was still there.

She was rummaging through her bag for a bottle of water when someone tapped on her shoulder. "Excuse me."

Janai turned around to see a woman dressed in the light blue uniform of the Katolis police, with a long braid falling down her back. "Hey, I'm Detective Sarai. I understood you saw the accident happening."

She nodded, twisting the bottle lead. "Yes, I was driving by when it happened."

"Could you tell me what you saw?" She took out a pen and a small notepad.

Janai shrugged. "The guy drove past a red light and hit the other car. Maybe by accident, I don't know."

A thin smile formed on Sarai's face. "That's my sister, there," she looked past her shoulder at Amaya on the stretcher. "Thank you for coming to help her."

She couldn't help but return the smile. "It was nothing anyone else wouldn't have done."

Sarai looked as if she heard it a lot in the past. "But still, thank you," she said, and turned around.

**-**

Amaya couldn't take her eyes off that woman, Janai. She watched as Sarai talked with her, though she couldn't understand a thing from this distance. After she assured Sarai she was fine and that she should do her cope duties and release the poor guy before he'd break down on the ground, she nudged Gren with the back of her hand.

"Do you think she's cute?" She asked.

Gren sighed before he wiped his face. "You are incredible."

Amaya tilted her head, frowning. "What? She saved my life."

"Your life was never in any real danger," he signed back.

"Not true, I could have gotten hurt," she teased with a smirk. "Could you at least return her jacket?" She lifted her arm.

"Alright," Gren took it away from her, only half willing.

"And ask for her phone number," Amaya added, with an encouraging nod. 

"Oh my god, okay, fine," Gren said and walked away, defeated.

Her smile deepened when he returned with the woman, her returned jacket folded and hanged over the crook of her elbow. Amaya adjusted on the stretcher, which was elevated, much to her luck, so she was almost sitting rather than lying flat.

She could see her with much more clarity, now that she was close. Her crimson dreadlocks reached the middle of her back, her eyes were in a rich shade of brown, and a few earrings pierced each of her ears with diamonds and gold.

"Hey," the woman outreached her hand with a smooth grin. "I'm Janai."

Amaya took her hand, and drew back to spell her name, with Gren interpreting beside her. "I'm Amaya."

"Nice to meet you, Amaya," Janai replied, and seemed to linger her name on her lips. "I'm glad to see you're okay," she moved her finger from side to side, pointing at the bandage that covered Amaya's forehead.

"Thanks to you," she signed, and Janai glanced at Gren- almost flushing red- when he repeated her words.

She let out a short laugh. "Do you always ask women who saved your life for their phone numbers?"

Oh, either that Janai was really giving it to her or that she knew exactly what she was doing. "Only the cute ones," tapped her chin.

Janai glanced unresponding at her signs for a moment before she shifted to Gren, and Amaya followed her gaze when she realized he didn't interpret the words for her. They both raised an eyebrow at him.

"Only the cute ones," he said out loud, every inch of him regretting this day already.

Janai laughed again. "Only because of this you're getting my number," she said, and scribbled it on a torn piece of paper Gren gave her before she handed it to Amaya.

She stared at the note, the numbers written in neat handwriting, and folded it to shove into her pocket. "Send me a message, when you get better?" Janai asked.

Amaya nodded, a wave of pride rushing through her. Janai glanced at her watch and grimaced at the hour. "I have to go, stay safe," she looked between her and Gren, and began to walk away, turning around to flash Amaya one last smile and a wave.

Only after she left, Amaya noticed that most of the people were gone, along with the cars that surrounded them, and the only things that remained were one police car and the ambulance behind her. She tilted her head to smile at Gren, who still had a very embarrassed expression on his face, and the warm feeling that resonated well within her chest sparked and turned into the magic that was love.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!
> 
> my [tumblr](https://ikknowplaces.tumblr.com/)
> 
> and my [tdp sideblog](https://rrunaan.tumblr.com/)


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